


Dance With Me

by rendezvous18_6y



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, basically dancing with the stars, except its not bc i don't wanna get sued
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 01:00:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21262499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rendezvous18_6y/pseuds/rendezvous18_6y
Summary: After being invited to compete in a nationally acclaimed dance competition, Tsugumi has big plans to win. Who knew she'd find love in the process?





	1. Chapter 1

Even though the words are staring right back at her, Tsugumi can’t quite register what was being suggested. 

In bold print, the words ‘Starbeat’ stands out from the rest of the text in the email. She cocks her head to the side. She turns her head to look at Himari, who swings her legs back and forth like a giddy schoolgirl. A smile dares to break across her face as she looks at her friends for approval. “So?” 

Ran looks at the screen with her lips twisted. “Himari-chan, I don’t think Ran-chan knows what Starbeat is,” Tsugumi offers as an explanation. Ran slinks into her seat, not giving a response. 

Himari’s eyes glimmer with opportunity. “How do you not know what Starbeat is? It’s only the biggest ballroom dance competition show EVER. Small-name musical groups get paired with professional dancers and compete in a televised competition.” Himari’s enthusiasm is through the roof, and everyone else feels it too by how hard she’s gripping the edge of the table. 

Nevertheless, Ran folds her arms and puffs out her cheeks. Tsugumi can tell exactly what she’s going to say even before the words form on her tongue. “Absolutely not.”

“Whaaat?” Himari looks offended for a second. “It looks like so much fun though! The staff of the show contacted _ us _ for a reason, right? It’d be nearly betrayal if we didn’t go!” She stands up from her spot on the cushioned seat, as if she’s ready to fight right then and there. 

Moca crosses her right leg over her left and brings a hand to her chin. “Hmmm, I see what’s going on here.” She takes a quick glance at Himari, a sly smile creeping on her face. “You want to go because THE Kaoru Seta is a judge this season, huh?” At the mention of Kaoru, Himari’s face dusts a light pink and she looks to the ground. 

“This is for Afterglow, Moca! If one of us competes, we’ll grab more attention for our music!” Himari retorts. “Seeing Seta-san is just a bonus..” 

“Ha, I knew it! You just wanna get all close with the other judges before you sneak in on Seta-san~.” Moca puckers her lips playfully and makes kissing noises at the other girl. 

“To-mo-e, stop Moca from bullying me!!” Himari looks almost on the verge of tears, she clings to Tsugumi’s sweater from the side. 

“Moca, chill with the teasing, we aren’t elementary schoolers, y’know.” 

“Aww, no fun.” 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Ran says, “but who’s going?” 

“I’ll do it!” 

“Himari,” Tomoe starts, voice a bit hesitant, “how do I put this, for a former tennis player, you don’t exactly have the best coordination for dancing…”

“What’s it with everyone attacking me today!” Himari puffs, sitting back down in her seat. 

Ran takes a sip of her iced coffee and asks, “Alright, any other takers?” 

“Ran-chan, how about you?” Tsugumi asks. 

“I’ll pass.” 

“Alright, who else wants to volunteer?” Tsugumi continues on. 

The group has nothing left to say. Minus the hushed chattering of the cafe’s customers around them, the room is relatively quiet. 

“If no one else wants to, then I’ll do it,” Tomoe suggests with a grin. 

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to think we forced you into this or something,” Tsugumi says, the heels of her sneakers bouncing under the table. 

“Nah it’s fine! I have the most dance experience anyways, I’m sure it’ll help when I perform. I’ll make sure to ask Ako for some dance lessons sometime!” 

“So it’s settled then? I’ll email them today,” Himari concludes, shutting off her phone and sliding it in her pocket. The group slides out of their chairs, Himari looks at them expectantly. 

“Hm? Is there something you wanna say, Himari?” Ran flings her bag over her shoulder. 

“Can we do The Thing?” 

“What ‘The Thing’?” 

“You know!” Himari gestures vaguely at the air. 

“Sorry, don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Aww, of course you do, our team chant?” 

“What? Never heard of it.” Ran heads towards the door, Moca and Tomoe following closely behind. As they leave, Moca begins to snicker. 

Tsugumi pats Himari on the back in a failing effort to comfort the sulking girl. 

* * *

“Six weeks?!” Ran slams her hands on the wooden table, causing its legs to shake. Tsugumi winces at the sudden noise. “How could you be this careless?” 

“Ran--” Himari attempts to interrupt. A fight was the last thing their group needed at the moment. 

Tomoe plays with the hair sprouting on the back of her head. She laughs anxiously before saying, “Y’know how I said I was going to ask Ako for dance lessons? We were practicing the other day and I did a bad turn and twisted my ankle. Just a freak accident, sorry, guys.” 

“It’s fine.” Ran answers. “Just be more careful next time.” 

“Oh no, and the competition starts in a week too, such bad timing!” Himari cradles her head in her arms on the table. 

The somber mood was starting to get to Tsugumi. She doesn’t like to see her friends so down like this. “G-guys it’ll be fine! We can get through this!” she reassures them, hopefully to lighten the mood. 

“How?” Himari mumbles into the fabric of her sweater. 

Tsugumi didn’t have an answer for that, she just wanted to lessen the toll Tomoe’s injury took on the group.”Because,” What to say, what to say… Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. “I’ll take Tomoe’s spot in the competition.” 

The remaining girls jolted to life at once, all astonished at her offer. A few customers glance at the cause of the commotion. “Woah! Our Tsugu being as Tsugurific as ever I see!” Moca drawls. 

“Wait, seriously? You’d do that?” Tomoe questions. She tries to stand but winces and sits back down in her seat. 

“If it’s not an issue for any of you...?” 

“You still have to run the cafe too, we can’t have you working yourself half to death again,” Ran says. 

“I can ask Eve if she can switch shifts with me, so I can have the morning shift instead.”

Himari pouts at her, and cups her face in her hands. “Tsuguuu~ you can’t have that much on your plate at once! If you ever need any help at the cafe or you’re too tired to work, feel free to call us, ‘kay?” She takes her elbows off the table and squeezes Tsugumi in a tight embrace.

“Himari-chan...!” Tsugumi wiggles under her grip, though she enjoys the contact. Himari, sensing her struggle, lets her go. “Thank you, everyone; I’ll make you proud, I promise!” 

It isn’t until Tsugumi is lying awake in her bed at night when she realizes what exactly she agreed to. She grabs a pillow placed haphazardly to her right and presses it over face.


	2. Chapter 2

After countless days of nervousness and a number of phone calls, Tsugumi lived to attend the competition. The days following her fateful decision continued in a tangled mess of planning and stress. Apparently, the location is so far away from her hometown that she has to room in a hotel temporarily, which completely threw off her work at the cafe. At least it’s paid for. So, reluctantly, she let Eve in on the situation and pleaded that she cover her managerial role over the shop. Eve agreed to assist, much to Tsugumi’s surprise, and even wished her luck.

Which leads her to where she is now. Tsugumi feels surrounded by rows and rows of chairs stretching beyond her eyes’ reach. Compared to her relative height, the number of seats looked gargantuan, and in all honesty, she feels overwhelmed. Then she turns around, revealing a plain wooden dance floor laid in front of a gaudy, over-the-top entrance way, complete with lights, glittery wallpaper and the works. Just showy enough for a dance competition, she thinks. Suddenly, she’s much too out of place.

By the time she turns back around, Tsugumi’s greeted by a set of bright eyes peering into her personal space. Her heart almost leaps out of her chest before she takes a good look at the woman staring at her with intrigue. Shiny blonde hair, sparkling yellow eyes, this new woman looks as if she’s meant for the spotlight, with a personality to match. “Yahoo! What’s your name, stranger?” 

She’s caught off guard by the happy-go-lucky voice that’s too loud for her poor ears. “T-Tsugumi Hazawa. Are you competing here too?” 

“That’s right, I hope we get along well, Tsugumi!” First names already? She’s definitely not used to this type of treatment. “My name’s Kokoro, by the way.” She holds up her hand high above her head. On instinct, Tsugumi reaches up and slaps her own hand with Kokoro’s. Although her personality is other-worldly, Tsugumi can appreciate the positivity. Kokoro takes hold of her other hand and drags her over to a group of chairs waiting near a group of women talking amongst themselves. 

She lowers herself into a chair right beside Kokoro, taking another gander at the area. “So,” Kokoro starts, “where did you come from?” 

“A little far away, actually. I just dropped my suitcase off at a nearby hotel, since travelling back and forth is too much of a struggle.” 

“A nearby hotel? I just came from a nearby hotel! Which one? Which one?!” She was showing quite a lot of excitement for an answer to a simple question. Kokoro never ceases to amaze her. 

“The Magnum Hotel, I think..”

Then her eyes widen by tenfold. “I’m staying there too. Isn’t that amazing?! We can hang out, and have sleepovers… It’ll be so much fun!!” Kokoro’s arms are going wild, moving with each word that escapes her mouth.

“Good morning, everyone!!” All conversations dwindle at the sudden shout. The woman at the front, with shoulder-length brown hair, stands with three other women, all varying drastically in height. Tsugumi notices that the brunette also has an odd set of twin buns at the sides of her head that vaguely resemble cat ears. “Are we having a heart-pounding sparkling day?!” The room is suspiciously quiet, except for Kokoro, of course, who claps her hands with vigor. 

“Alright, that’s what I like to hear!” says the brunette, ignoring the obvious awkwardness of the contestants. “Thank you all for coming here today. My name is Kasumi Toyama, and I’m the director of Starbeat, it’s nice to meet you all.” She steps aside and gestures to someone standing to her right. “This is our main camerawoman, Arisa Ichigaya. She’s in charge of filming, so if you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask her.” 

Arisa is quite a bit less eccentric as her counterpart, her eyes are darting anywhere but the crowd of women in front of her. “Nice… to meet you all.” 

“And here we have Aya and Lisa,” Kasumi points to two more people standing to her left. “They’ll be your announcers for this competition, so come to them with any concerns you have.”

One of the announcers greets the group with a wave of her hand. “Hey, my name’s Lisa Imai! I hope we can all have a fantastic time together.” Tsugumi can’t deny that she has a sort of natural charisma to her and that she can’t help but join in on a quiet round of applause.

“Hello, everyone!! It’s your favorite fluffy pink announcer, Aya Maruyama!” Another woman, probably Aya, makes herself known in an overly sweetened greeting, yet it’s so precise that one would believe that she spent hours rehearsing it everyday. “I’m glad to meeth-- Ah!” Aya holds a hand over her mouth at the sudden blunder.

“Haha!” The group turns around to face someone seated at the top with shoulder-length teal hair. “It’s just like our Aya-chan to mess up her own introduction!” Tsugumi winces at the harsh words coming from her mouth, but the staff members appear unphased. 

“Hina-chaaan!!” Aya covers her whole face in shame with both hands, training her eyes to the ground. Arisa rolls her eyes and huffs out a sigh.

“Oh! And those are our judges, Hina, Maya, and Kaoru.” Kaoru blows a delicate kiss to the crowd, and Tsugumi hears a black-haired woman to her right make a lovestruck sigh, clutching her chest tightly.

“Okay!” Kasumi continues on as if this were an everyday occurance. ”Now that we have introductions out of the way, how about we assign our partners.” 

Tsugumi instantly froze on the spot. She almost forgot. It’s going to be awkward dancing so intimately with someone she doesn’t know, but for the sake of Afterglow, she must push on. “Now will our professionals please stand at the front?” 

Tsugumi hears chairs shifting against the floor from behind her and the sound of feet tapping fading. The dancers form a line across the wood, looking side to side before settling where they stood. Upon taking an observatory glance at them, only one really caught her eye. Intense-looking and also sporting teal colored hair, albeit longer, this woman doesn’t look like the type to take this competition lightly. She has her arms folded across her chest and has a slight frown on her face. 

“Alright, dancers, please introduce yourselves!” Kasumi booms with newfound excitement. If Tsugumi can remember correctly, their names, in order, are Yukina, Kanon, Saya, Sayo, and Misaki. Tsugumi notes that Sayo was the scary-looking one from earlier. She immediately prays to every god imaginable that she doesn’t have her as a partner. 

“I’ll be reading out your assigned partners, so make sure you pay attention!” Kasumi reaches for a table behind her, patting it for something. Then she turns around to face the table, looking above, under, and on the legs. It takes her a few seconds to stop her search and turn to the crowd.

“Don’t tell me..” Arisa starts. The brunette giggles shyly, and Arisa gently massages her temples in pain. She then reaches in her own pants pocket, revealing a folded sheet of paper, an extra copy perhaps. 

Kasumi gasps before shouting, “Thanks, Arisa!!” throwing her arms out for a hug from the blonde. Arisa struggles under her grip, breaking herself free seconds later. She dusts off her clothing. “Anyways, let’s start! Please stand with your partner when I’ve called your name. The first pairing is.. Rinko Shirokane and Yukina Minato.” 

A woman with lengthy dark hair stands from her seat and makes her way to the front without a sound. She mutters a greeting that Tsugumi can’t quite hear to Yukina, who returns the formalities. “Next up, Kokoro Tsurumaki and Kanon Matsubara.”

Kokoro jumps up and runs over to her dance partner who looks intimidated by the overtly lively blonde. Kanon’s already enveloped in a hug by the time Kasumi announces the next pairing: “Tae Hanazono and Saya Yamabuki.”

Tsugumi clamps her eyes shut. She’s been hoping to get Saya as a partner, she looks very friendly and warm. Now it’s Sayo’s turn. She holds her breath in anticipation, just waiting for the moment to be over. Tsugumi's head is locked towards the ground when Kasumi says, “Tsugumi Hazawa and Sayo Hikawa.”

Tsugumi finally breathes, feeling as if she’s about to faint right then and there. She stands up from her chair and sweeps a strand of hair from out of her eyes. Walking from where she was to the front seems to take forever, time slowing to a crawl. Once she’s situated at the front, Sayo turns towards her and performs a curt bow. “Nice to meet you,” she says. Sayo’s ultra formal first words cause Tsugumi to feel more intimidated. 

Politely, she returns a bow. “You too,” she says, all the while hoping that her partner doesn’t see the nervous energy dancing under her skin. The atmosphere around them is plagued with awkwardness, Tsugumi feels like she’s attending a business meeting rather than a dance competition. The last pair, Rimi and Misaki, are declared at last and they all share one last round of applause as the meeting draws to a close. Tsugumi closes her eyes once more after the clapping ends, this whole situation just gets more and more interesting. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly DID NOT expect my story to get this much feedback????? thanks everyone omg skjdfhskjdf i also apologize for not responding to comments, BUT i am reading them <3

Tsugumi comes out the bathroom dressed in her favorite pajamas she bought some months ago. The digital clock laying next to her bed reads 9:19pm, perfect time to get a good night’s rest. Yet something’s been bugging her the moment she hopped on the train today. 

She dials a number on her phone and listens to the ringing. It doesn’t take too long, especially since the cafe should be empty around this time anyways. “Tsugumi-san! How’d the meeting go?” 

Hearing Eve’s voice instantly makes her feel comfortable. “Eve-chan! It went fine, a lot less… organized, than I imagined. How’s business over there?” Tsugumi flops backwards onto the bed.

She hears Eve sigh. “Today was hectic, the employees barely got a break. Do you have any tips to deal with that?” 

Tsugumi can feel Eve’s exhaustion through the phone and instantly feels guilty for leaving such a big task for her friend. Even though they both graduated college last year, she might still be busy with a life of her own. Tsugumi plays with her hair. “Um… there’s nothing much you can do about that. But, if you feel troubled, you can call me. I’ll have someone back at home help you.”

“You don’t have to do this. You shouldn’t be stressing about the cafe when there’s a battle to be won!” 

“It’s the least I can do after I laid all of this work onto you so suddenly,” she says while giggling. Suddenly, the room door clicks and swings open. Someone stands at the front. If Tsugumi’s memory is correct, her name was Rinko? She carries a small plate in her hands. Shoot! Of course there’s a reason why there’s two beds. 

“Oh, Eve-chan, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back soon, okay?” Tsugumi whispers into her phone. 

“Alright, bye-bye, good luck!” 

“Thank you.” The phone hangs up. Tsugumi sits up to face the woman standing frozen at the foot of her own bed.

“H-hello..?” Says Rinko. She clutches even tighter to the plate. 

“Hi.. um, what’s your name?” She isn’t sure if she remembers her name correctly. 

“Rinko… It’s Rinko Shirokane.” Rinko trains her gaze on the ground. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Rinko-san. M-my name’s Tsugumi Hazawa!” 

“You too.. Hazawa-san.” 

… The atmosphere goes unbearably dry between them. “Rinko-san, what’s in that plate?” 

She looks at the plate like she forgot it was there in the first place. “O-oh. There were… a tray of cookies… downstairs.” Rinko smiles to herself.

“So you like cookies?” 

“Yeah.. they’re easy to eat… when I’m in a gaming session.” 

“You’re a gamer? What games do you play?” Tsugumi feels like she’s asking too many questions, but she needs to find something to bond over, or they’ll be doomed to an eternity of awkward silences.

Rinko’s eyes visibly light up. Bingo. “There is this game… I’m playing lately. It’s called.. NFO.” 

“Oh! I know someone back at home who also plays that game! Is it interesting?”

“Y-yes. It’s a… role playing game. And you get to fight… monsters and level up.” Her eyes flit around the room, but Tsugumi can tell she’s very fond of that game. 

Tsugumi feels a wave of fatigue pass over her. “Wow.. you should show me someday, when we have time.” She wraps herself up in the cool hotel blankets burrito-style. “Goodnight, Rinko-san.”

“Goodnight.. Hazawa-san.”

* * *

It’s only 45 minutes into practice, but Tsugumi feels sore all over. The first part of their rehearsal was made of basic stretches, which she hadn’t done since high school. And it showed when she was asked to do a split for warm-ups. Her’s dulled in comparison to Sayo’s by a long shot. 

“Do you know anything about Cha Cha?” Sayo asks.

“Not really.” Tsugumi’s doesn’t know much about ballroom dancing in general. She’s only seen people dancing the Cha Cha on very few occasions, but it looks difficult. 

“I’ll teach you the steps with the music. It should be easy to figure out the rhythm once you hear it.” She walks to her phone and turns up the volume on the speakers. A song rings out loud and clear. It’s heavy in rhythm, yet floaty and delicate. The vocalist sings softly, but Tsugumi doesn’t know what language the song is in.

“It’s easier to get a better understanding if we go over the basics first.” Sayo walks closer and snakes an arm just underneath Tsugumi’s and wraps it around her back. And if that isn’t all, Sayo uses her free hand to take her own and clasps them together. Suddenly, it’s hard to breathe. 

Her dance partner must’ve noticed her freeze up and asks, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I swear! Just a bit--” 

“Shocking, I’m guessing?” Sayo offers. She begins to remove her hands from their places.

“A little.” Tsugumi giggles. “But I’ll get used to it!” 

That’s all it took for Sayo to keep her hands where they were. “Ok, rest your left hand on my shoulder.” 

Tsugumi does as she’s asked and looks to the other woman when she’s done. She feels a bit more comfortable already.

“This is how we’ll keep our hands positioned for the more basic steps. Just follow my lead.” She begins to take a step forwards, causing Tsugumi to step back. They move in a pattern of steps: back-front-back, left-left-left. Front-back-front, right-right-right. Their dance is clumsy and stiff, mainly on Tsugumi’s part anyways. Sayo switches her footwork with ease. 

She absorbs all of her attention in the way her feet move. Back-front-back, left-left-left. Front-back-front, right-right-left? Tsugumi’s toes collide with Sayo’s shin. The dancer yanks her leg off the ground quickly in pain. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Tsugumi’s hands fly up to cover her face. 

“N-no don’t be.” Sayo lowers her leg back to the ground. “Would it be better if I said the steps aloud?” 

“Yes… please.” 

The two rejoin in standard position. Sayo waits for a few beats before starting again. “Back-front-back, left-left-left. Front-back-front, right-right-right.” 

Hearing the directions definitely made performing them easier. The steps are much more routine than when they started. “You’re moving a bit too fast.” Sayo slows down her footwork so Tsugumi can follow suit. 

“Oh, okay.” She focuses on her footwork, counting beats in her head, just as she would during practices with Afterglow. 

It takes some time, but Tsugumi finally begins to understand what Sayo means by “figuring out the rhythm”. Her feet hit the ground on each beat and the pieces all seem to fit. She can feel the bass bumping in her heart. A smile floats onto her face.

“Now you’ve got it.” Sayo slows their pace and takes a final step back. The dancer makes her way to the speakers to lower the volume. “Dances such as Rumba, Cha Cha, and Mambo are meant to portray strong emotions, like passion. To do this, you have to move your hips as you dance. Like this.” She does their basic step, just walking as they did before. Then, Sayo tries it again, except this time she sways her hips as she walks, and instantly her moves look more polished and suave than they had before. “Got it?”

Tsugumi nods. Sayo restarts the song from the top and they break into their dance. The dancer immediately partakes in her added movement, signalling Tsugumi to do the same. And so she does. Just like when she first started the dance, it’s odd, and she can’t tell if she’s doing it right. Is it too much? Too little? Is she even on beat?

“Another important part of the Cha Cha is maintaining eye contact. Not all of the time, but just enough to give off an air of intimacy to the audience.” 

Oh, lord. She knows she’s notoriously bad at eye contact. But, if it must be done…

Tsugumi lifts her gaze from off the ground to see Sayo staring down at her. She tries her best to keep eye contact, but again, it’s something new. Though she can’t complain, Sayo’s eyes are some of the prettiest she’s seen, admittedly. 

They continue like this for a few before the song draw to a close and Sayo pulls back. Tsugumi can still feel tingles from where Sayo’s hands were. “With a bit more practice, we might be able to move onto the choreography today.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so i took forever to post bc all of my classes gave me like 900 assignments to do at the same time,, BUT it's done now, so i'll try to actually update a little earlier :)

Finally, it’s competition day. They’re performing for not only the audience in the theater, but also thousands upon thousands of people watching from home.The thought of it fills Tsugumi with anxiety. No! She’s going to do so well on stage; the judges won’t know what’s coming! That doesn’t stop her stomach from churning.

The dressing room is crowded with performers, clothing stylists, ad make-up artists galore. Only Saya and Tae are missing, since their performance runs first. Tsugumi tugs at the hem of her dress. Were all ballroom dresses this short? Apparently not. Rinko paces about the room garbed in a ankle-length ball gown type dress. She’s stunning, the dress matches her hair and everything. “Rinko-san, you look gorgeous!”

The woman lifts her head up from the ground and combs a hand through her hair. “T-thank you, Hazawa-san.” 

They hear Aya’s muffled speech, followed by an applause from the theater. The first dance just started. “Today’s the day,” Tsugumi says. She clenches and unclenches her fists.

“I-it is..” Rinko looks as if she’s about to be sick. Tsugumi hopes she’ll be fine, for the sake of the audience and Rinko herself. 

“Shirokane-san.” The two stop their brief chat. Yukina Minato leans against a wall. She wears the same dress Rinko has. “Are you ready?” 

“Yes.” She gives one last look at Tsugumi, who shoots her a thumbs up. Rinko gives her the tiniest smile before heading off. 

Tsugumi watches as the pair walks off. Yukina focuses dead ahead, only changing her attention when she notices Sayo stretching on the side. They share a look for a second. Even from far away, Tsugumi can feel the tension rising. Then, Yukina carries on as if she didn’t have an intense staredown with another performer a second ago. What was that all about?

* * *

Yukina and Rinko move gracefully and swiftly across the stage. The way they move so effortlessly leaves Tsugumi in shock. Rinko looked so nervous backstage, it’s hard to believe that she’s the same woman twirling about onstage right now. Tsugumi’s hands twitch at her sides. She’s up next. She’s undoubtedly anxious, but not a “seconds-before-a-live-show” anxious. It feels different in a way.

“Nervous?” Tsugumi turns around to see Sayo standing right behind her. She too wears the same dress as her. How can she know exactly how she feels?

Tsugumi nods, words can’t seem to form in her mouth just yet. She hears a sigh.

“Hazawa-san. Performances are always nerve-wracking, believe me.” Tsugumi’s surprised by this. When she first saw Sayo on stage, she looked confident, untouchable almost. It never occurred to her that she also gets nervous before taking the stage. “But we’ve practiced non-stop for this. And you did well during rehearsal, so keep that in mind.” Though short, Sayo’s speech helps quell Tsugumi’s worries temporarily. 

A final round of applause erupts through the theater and Tsugumi’s heart skyrockets. “Our next performance is a Cha Cha routine by Sayo Hikawa and Afterglow keyboardist, Tsugumi Hazawa.” She lets out a shaky breath out and walks onstage.

The lights above scrape and burn her skin, she can hardly see Sayo take position on the opposite side of the stage. She can still hear the remnants of clapping even though her hearing is muffled. And then the audience goes silent, as in, dead silent. It’s so quiet that Tsugumi can hear her own feet shift across the wood floor uneasily as she takes position. It’s absolutely unbearable.

A flurry of music makes the ground beneath her feet tremble. Now she’s awake. Tsugumi’s body performs its function purely through muscle memory. Yet her movements feel wonky, like they did when she first stepped foot in the practice studio. 

Sayo appears from underneath the stage lights. Their hands latch onto one another, and their dance officially begins. It’s difficult to keep a mental checklist in order while she’s in constant, and it’s even more difficult to do under the expectant eyes of a crowd watching her every move, every mistake… Tsugumi snaps out of her head. She can’t show her unease now, she just needs to focus on the steps.

Back-front-back, left-left-left. Sayo’s rhythm floats in her head like a whisper while she dances. It doesn’t feel like she’s actually performing either, more like she’s just going through the motions. She follows through with the steps, but she can’t take her mind off of the cameras rotating around them. Tsugumi needs something, anything, to distract her from those taunting cameras. What are the rest of her friends doing back at home? Do they miss her yet? Of course that’s a silly question, they’re probably watching her back at home right now. On the TV screen… that’s recording her dance performance. Ugh!

Not to mention the judges sitting dutifully front and center. Yamato-san leans back in her chair with her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose. But she’s not the one that Tsugumi’s afraid of. That would be Hina Hikawa, who sits smack dab in the middle. Apparently, she’s such an accomplished dancer that she won this very same competition three years in a row! And then there’s Kaoru-san, she doesn’t know much about her besides what Himari gushed to her on occasions. It’s nothing that would help though.

She feels a light squeeze on her right hand. Tsugumi looks at her hand, then at Sayo who gives her a reassuring nod. Sayo says just loud enough for her to hear, “Keep your eyes on me.” Oh. She completely forgot about eye contact this whole time! Tsugumi would’ve laid her head on the nearest table if she wasn’t in the middle of her performance. 

Sayo’s correction makes all the difference. Looking through her eyes takes Tsugumi back to their days at practice. No audience, no blinding lights, just them and the studio. Instantly, everything feels easier when she’s not focused on the crowd. All of that extra work, all of those days spent reviewing and re-reviewing surges within her. Their movements are as natural as breathing and with the heavy vibrations rumbling throughout the theater, Tsugumi finally feels at ease. 

They’re almost finished with their routine and Tsugumi begins to feel out of breath. But she knows better than to just give up now. They weave around each other and jump and twist. Her legs regain their feeling after being numb for the majority of the performance. 

And then they finish. The speakers cut off sharply. Tsugumi’s heart was beating hard in her chest. Then an all-consuming rush of energy overcomes her. She feels tingles stretching all the way through the farthest tips of her fingers. She just did THAT. The best part: it only gets better from here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I finally updated. I don't have a lot to say about this one, but Merry Christmas/ Happy Hanukkah/ Happy Kwanzaa/ Happy New Year!!

Tsugumi stares past Sayo to observe at the decor of the cafe. It looks very much the opposite of her own. Most of the walls are decorated in various shades of grey and white giving it a more futuristic vibe, while her’s is considerably smaller and more homely. “This place is nice.” She leans her cheek on the palm of her hand. Her arm feels sore from carrying all those bags.

Right before coming to rest at the cafe, they were out on the streets cruising for some new dance equipment. One of Tsugumi’s practice heels snapped earlier today. They were her only pair too, so she wanted to get a new pair right away. Sayo seemed like she didn’t care to tag along in the beginning. When Tsugumi asked her to come with, her eyes grew wide with shock. She didn’t object though, and they made a plan to meet later that day to head downtown. 

“I suppose so..” Sayo gazes at the menu blankly. Tsugumi worries if Sayo’s too tired from practice to actually stay out this late. They met at the train station at around 3 in the afternoon and stayed put until 5, but Tsugumi never asked if she was tired. And after they did all that walking around too! Suddenly, she feels guilty all over again.

“Do you come here often?” She senses some awkwardness on Sayo’s end. It doesn’t look like she’s paying much attention to the menu anyways. 

“Not really, I just thought this place looked tasteful.” Her voice is measured. 

“Oh.. it does look really nice here, huh?” Tsugumi realizes she said that already. She would’ve slammed her head on the table if she wasn’t in public. 

“It does.” 

Tsugumi toys with the corners of her own menu. Why was she so bad at conversation? The amount of silence is killing her. 

“I apologize for being so rude,” Sayo says. 

Tsugumi sets down the menu on the table. “What? You don’t need to say that.”

“No, the whole time we were here was just… odd. I just haven’t gone outside one-on-one like this in a while.” Sayo begins tapping her nails to an unknown beat.

“That’s fine! We’ll do this so often it’ll be normal for you by the time this competition is over. Well, if we do make it to the end, that is.” Tsugumi feels a jolt of anxiety at the mention of the competition. They hardly made it to the next round. Luckily, they had one more point than the duo that lost yesterday, Saya and Tae. 

She felt kind of sad for them at the time. Their performance looked amazingly complex in Tsugumi’s eyes. They did the Lindy Hop, a cute and vintage dance. The pair danced as if they both had been performing all their lives, as if they hadn’t met only a little while ago. Yet that wasn’t enough to push them to the next round. If anything, that showed her how hard she needs to work to even make it to finals. 

“It’s amazing that we made it this far already. But we still need to work on a few things before we’re competition ready.” 

“You’re right about that, ahaha.” She thought back on the critics from the judges. Thankfully, they weren’t rude about it. Well, not ALL of them. Yamato-san and Kaoru-san had their fair share of advice, mainly on chemistry (not like she knew what they meant by that anyways) and fluidity. They didn’t point out as many flaws as Tsugumi imagined, maybe they were holding back since it was only the first competition. One judge in particular, however, didn’t hold back for sure. Hina was firing off criticism like it was nothing. Some were particularly memorable, like when she said that Rimi’s arm movements made her look like a dying bird more than a dancer. She almost made Rimi cry, Tsugumi remembers. It took Maya’s quickness to settle down the situation. But surely what Hina’s saying must be insightful if she’s on the judges’ panel.

A lady wearing an apron balanced two plates, one on each hand. She places both of them down on the table in front of Tsugumi. She got a small plate of chocolate chip cookies. Not very filling for lunch, but it was a safe option. Once the woman left the scene, they muttered a number of thank-yous under their breaths.

Sayo got a basket-full of fries. Tsugumi found it ironic that a professional dancer was eating a ton of french fries, possibly one of the most unhealthy food to exist. She chose not to say anything though, it’s not her place to judge; even if the plate looks to be the size of Sayo’s face.

Tsugumi lifts a cookie and twirls it around in her hand. “Hm. It’s strange going to a different cafe, I’m used to my own back at home.” She inserts the cookie into her mouth. The perfect blend of sugar and salt.

Sayo’s eyes go wide, “You own a cafe?”.

“Well, technically, it’s my parents, but they retired recently. So I’ve been running it for a year now. Sometimes it’s difficult, with Afterglow and schoolwork, but I still love it nonetheless!” 

“How do you manage all of that? I can imagine that working at a company with school and music would be hard to balance..” Sayo has a glazed over expression on her face.Tsugumi finds it difficult to understand what she’s thinking.

“I still can’t believe it myself!” And that’s the truth. There were times where Tsugumi was piled with heaps upon heaps of tasks; some from school and a lot from student council thrown in with extra practice hours for Afterglow. The point is, she got it done. 

“That takes dedication,” Sayo says, chewing at the end of a fry. Tsugumi’s face pricks and feels warm at the compliment. Somehow, this compliment feels even more sincere coming from Sayo. She can’t help but let a smile pull at her cheeks. “Can’t say the same for myself, I struggled quite a bit in college.” She casts an uneasy glance off to the side. 

“Ahaha, t-thanks, I’m not sure I did anything much.. But if you’re here today you must’ve done something right! Where’d you go to for college? Maybe we went the same one!”

“Actually, I travelled overseas for college. I applied for a scholarship at Juilliard and went there for school.” 

“Juilliard?! Isn’t that the fancy American school? That’s something you should be proud of!” Tsugumi heard all about it from Tomoe, Afterglow’s dance specialist. Tomoe herself had no intention to apply, but that didn’t stop her from telling her friends all about it one day after school. 

Now it’s Sayo’s turn to be embarrassed. “Y-yes.” Seeing Sayo all flustered like this is kind of cute, Tsugumi muses. “Some of the dancers from our competition went there as well.” Tsugumi notices that all the fries that once covered Sayo’s plate disappeared. 

She realizes that her plate remains full, so she takes another cookie into her hand. “Like who?”

“Minato-san and Hina.” The dancer looks a bit hesitant to disclose this information. “Minato-san and I were rivals for much of the time, though.”

Tsugumi thinks back to the competition. There was a sort of tension between the two right after she stopped her conversation with Rinko. She just wanted to mind her own business; the curiosity was killing her by the time their routine was up. 

“However, I’m determined to beat her this time.” Sayo’s hands clench slightly on the table. That’s all it takes for Tsugumi to determine that she needs to try harder. She will NOT be the reason that Sayo loses to Yukina again.

“And do you know anything about Hina?” 

“Considering that she’s my sister, yes.” 

Sisters, huh. Well, Hina and Sayo have the same hair color, the same face shape, the same eyes. The only thing that was different between them was their personality. Tsugumi wants to slam her head into the table for the second time today. But now a question is burning in her mind. “How did she become a judge if you both work at the show?”

Sayo sucks a deep breath in. A look of dejection crosses her face. Tsugumi instantly worries that she overstepped her boundaries without knowing. “U-um, you don’t have to answer if you’re not comfortable.”

“No, it’s fine. Simply put, she has more experience than me.” Sayo sounds quite nonchalant about it, but Tsugumi can sense there’s something missing from the story. 

She feels that urge to cheer Sayo up. She can’t stand her dance partner looking so sad. “Just because she may have more experience, doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to brag about! The fact that you made it to the show as a professional dancer shows that all of the effort you put in before was in good use.”

“Y-you think so?” 

“Definitely! Plus, I really appreciate how you helped me with the competition the other day. I was getting caught up in my nervousness, but looking at you... eased me off of it.” Tsugumi is somewhat embarrassed to be saying this. She begins fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

Sayo seems just as embarrassed to be hearing it. “Nonsense, your performance was impressive for your first time. You learned easily and I’m positive you’ll do fine.” 

Those same tingles swim to Tsugumi’s face at the praise. She can’t believe she ever thought Sayo to be intimidating. They should definitely do this more often. 

They split the bill for their food and pick up their bags. Tsugumi takes a look out the cafe’s windows. The sun is already beginning to set. 

Sayo glances at her. “Are you ready to leave?” She smiles slightly, which takes Tsugumi by surprise. In the short while they’ve known each other, Sayo’s never been one to smile so willingly.

And in turn, Tsugumi does too. 

**Author's Note:**

> ok so first work! kinda nervous, so criticism is welcome because idk how i did lmao


End file.
